The man behind the development of Bermuda's National Sports Centre (NSC) has returned fire after suffering heavy criticism over what has been described as "inflated" charges for the rental of the facility.

In separate letters sent to Bermuda Football Association and Bermuda Track and Field Association - and copied to The Royal Gazette - chairman of the NSC Board of Trustees, Donald Lines, has hit back at the presidents of those governing bodies, claiming that both have distorted the truth.

In recent articles published in The Gazette, BFA chief Larry Mussenden and BTFA head Judy Simmons both claimed their organisations were being unfairly penalised by high rental costs, with Mussenden adding that the Devonshire complex was in danger of becoming a `white elephant.'

The BFA president complained: "If the Trustees want to adopt the view that sports organisations should be paying to maintain that facility then we may come to the point where sports organisations have to consider not using the NSC and look at other venues in Bermuda to have our programmes. Then they can have a stadium that's used even less than it's used now - which is not much to begin with."

But Lines takes exception with this statement, claiming it's "completely out of context with reality".

" . . . there is substantial demand for the use of the fields and the BFA are themselves using the northern fields extensively (at least four days a week and weekends for `training' and you are not paying for this use or for the costs associated with this use) - so how do you reconcile your statement that you `are outraged by the amounts charged and that the facilities are not being used'?" asks Lines.

"You go on to say `that apart from a rental fee for the stadium, sports bodies have to pay for lights, security, a groundsman and his overtime as well as surrender a cut of the gate, yet the one area through which they could possibly recoup some of their expenses, the concession stand, is off limits to sporting groups.'

"Here again, you have distorted the facts. The only time the BFA has been billed for the use of facilities and lights as well as for extra cleaning is where it is required for `events' and in these cases you have until now always been required to pay for the use of the facility (by way of a 15 percent share of the gate receipts) plus out-of-pocket costs including lighting and clean-up costs.

"To make you uncalled for comments even more outrageous I am aware that in many instances the Department of Community Affairs and Sport have funded you to cover charges by the National Sports Centre, yet even though you have received such funding, you do not use these funds for the purposes for which they were given to you."

Claiming that the BFA still owe the trustees a "substantial amount of money", Lines argues that the NSC's $125 per hour rental charge is "reasonable" and only $35 more than was charged for the southern field in 1997.

Turning his attention to the comments made by BTFA president Simmons, Lines points out that "the BTFA extensively use the facilities and rarely pay or are charged for such use unless there are public events and even here we tend to provide the massively improved facilities at only nominal costs."

". . . For you to associate yourself with the comments made by Mr. Mussenden in criticising the trustees is, I think, unjustified for it is only on a few occasions you have been billed for the use of the track and I am aware that in many instances you have been given funds by Government to cover the costs which we have billed you.

". . . The trustees feel that distorted statements of fact and fiction by people such as you who should and do know better does nothing to further the interest of sport or your organisation."

Letters in full - see Sports Mailbox, Page 24.